Monday, November 19, 2012

Ultrasound Surprise: It's a What? Are You Sure?

Let me start by saying what is known. It always needs to be
said for some reason: I just want a healthy baby. That is the most important
thing. Before an ultrasound revealed the gender of my first
child, I was assured that all organs were functioning wonderfully and
measurements were on track. The ultrasound tech referred to baby Benson as
“perfect” on multiple occasions. This news brought tears to my eyes.

To set the stage a bit, my husband travels a lot for work,
and I am not always very patient. I had my 20 week ultrasound scheduled for weeks and had been waiting since practically day one to know if we would
be the parents of a son or daughter.

A couple of days before the appointment,
Gary announced that he needed to be out of town and we would have to
reschedule. Um, no? I was unable to get in a different day that week and
begged to just go alone and tell him the gender later. He
agreed that would be fine. Taking some inspiration from friends, I decided to ask the tech to write down the gender and seal the envelope, so Gary and I could find
out together. I swore not to peek and, believe it or not, I didn’t! We planned
for a nice dinner the next evening when he was back in town.

My in-laws have three grandsons and my mother-in-law is not shy
about her desire for a first granddaughter. Minus my extreme love for the
game of football, I am a girly girl. I love all things related to fashion,
jewelry, and shoes (lots of shoes!). I even
make jewelry and accessories for women and little girls. Because of this, friends and family alike insisted that I “should” have a girl
because that is what I need.

So, okay, I am going to have a girl. I really have no
scientific reason to think it is a girl. My odds are still 50-50. Yet I am
certain we have a girl in there. And as it turns out, so is my husband. I worried while waiting for the ultrasound. What if I am
disappointed? I would feel terrible. I should be 100 percent delighted no matter the
gender.

My ultrasound tech was wonderful and advised me to
look away from the screen at that crucial moment so I wouldn't see any girl or boy parts. The tech was happy to oblige my request to write down the sacred
information and seal it up. I got to enjoy nearly the entire exam and saw some
incredible images. Our baby was even scratching the bottom of its foot,
something my husband loves to do. With a beaming smile, I came home, set down
the envelope containing photographic and written evidence, and tried patiently
to wait until the following night.

We walked to our selected dinner spot, got seated, and put
our champagne on ice. Our phones were lighting up with texts, calls, and
Facebook messages. Did we know yet? What is taking so long? Wow, that bottle
took forever to chill. All the while, the envelope sat on the table, staring at
me, begging me to open it. The time came, and we were both like giggling school
children, our phones sitting idly by waiting for us to call our equally excited
families. We decided to check out the picture first to see if we could guess
before seeing what the tech had written. I immediately noticed what I was looking
at, and to confirm, Gary pointed out that the tech had typed on one of the
images, “It’s A Boy!”

So there it is. Now we know. Disappointed is definitely
not the word to describe how we felt. Shocked and very surprised is fitting, as well as elated.

It has taken several days to sink in, and both of us still
randomly say, “I can’t believe we are having a boy.” Suddenly, my neutral nursery
seems very feminine, and there is talk of stuffed gorillas and replacing
yellows with blues. Gary and I are trying to control ourselves but have
already made some must-have purchases for our little boy (tiny Polo slip-ons
are a must-have, right?).We are very
much looking forward to meeting and watching our son, our firstborn, grow up.
He will be Gary Benson III, and I am thrilled that my husband and his father
have a new namesake.

I am so happy we found out our baby's gender and that we
did it together. It was one of the most special nights of my life, and I
wouldn’t change it for anything. Life is full of great surprises, and so far
this one is at the top of my list.

Who is Mumbling Mommy?

Welcome to the Mumbling Mommy site. The posts here are written by Moms across the U.S. who write from a variety of backgrounds, life situations and parenting styles. The bloggers here include moms who are married, divorced, working, stay-at-home, writers and worriers. We hope you enjoy following our journeys through parenting and we look forward to hearing your comments.

Guest Blog Policy and Ad Rates

Click here to learn more about guest posts and advertising opportunities.